For a few miles the Nottingham to Grantham line cuts through the peninsula that forms the northern tip of Leicestershire. And that stretch is home to the least used station in the county, Bottesford. You can see it in this video, which may inspire me to post some photographs I took of it a couple of years ago. For the time being, enjoy the path from the station to the village.

This was the last photo I took of Paddy Ashdown, back in September 2012 at his book signing session at Lib Dem conference in Brighton. I have some fond memories of Paddy from the early 1990s when I was Lib Dem candidate in Hexham. He visited on a number of occasion. I remember one visit in particular when his office had instructed that during his tour of Tyneside and Hexham, he had to have a

I welcome guest posts on Liberal England. As you can see from this list of the 10 most recent ones, I am happy to consider a wide range of subjects. If you would like to write a guest post yourself, please send me an email so we can discuss your idea. The straight line of racist politics from 19th century South Carolina to Donald Trump - Phil NobleHow can a Liberal talk to a hate addict? - Katie BarronThe Second World War families who took evacuees into their homes - Gillian MawsonWhat happened to the 8th Lincolns at the battle ...

As previously noted, one of my aims of last year was to read 40 books from a more gender balanced range of authors. How did I do? Well, thanks to a couple of other changes in my life, I actually managed 60, and did indeed make sure I read more female authors. Here's how the figures broke down, in line with previous posts on the subject: Of the sixty books, 29 were by men and 31 by women - a 48% to 52% split. In terms of authors, this too was balanced, with 18 men and 23 women; 44% to ...

"This agreement is a further step towards more openness and better cooperation, facilitating fairer and more effective taxation throughout the EU." With those words, Pierre Moscovici, the commissioner responsible for financial affairs and taxation declared Europe as a 'hallmark' of financial transparency and openness. Last March, the member states of the EU reached an agreement to create a more transparent environment for tax advisers, accountants and other financial workers and services. Amongst a context that saw leaks from the Panama papers, this agreement set a standard in how financial corruption and tax avoidance would be tackled, shining a light on ...

Responding to reports that both Heathrow and Gatwick airport have spent millions of pounds in anti-drone technology, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Jenny Randerson said:"It appears that, rather belatedly, airports are now investing in the technology needed so that in the future they can manage any misuse of drones much more effectively. The Conservative Government must follow suit immediately to ensure that both police and armed forces are also better prepared to deal with any future disruption caused."The chaos over Christmas could have been avoided. Chris Grayling must stop sitting on his hands and reverse his decision to abandon legislation which ...

Responding to the reports that nearly 1,000 police officers are to begin training for deployment in Northern Ireland in case of disorder from a no-deal Brexit, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable said:"The Brexiters' claims that the security of Northern Ireland is not at risk as a result of Brexit have been further dismantled by these reports. In the interest of public safety the Government must take 'no deal' off the table. "The Conservative Government's policy has been driven by the DUP who do not represent the majority in Northern Ireland who voted to remain. "The people of Northern ...

In most walks of life when people make mistakes, they generally have to admit to them, but not in politics it seems. If a press release goes out with the wrong data, a correction is quickly issued; corrections to factual errors are regularly printed in newspapers. But we've had no apologies from anyone about the current Brexit shambles. Well, it's high time the politicians who led us down the garden path on Brexit owned up to their mistakes. Their claims were false, their facts were wrong and many of their predictions were wildly inaccurate. People are weary of the '£350m ...

Peter Boizot had four great passions: pizza, jazz, Peterborough and Liberalism! With all four he was liberal in his support, both with finance and in enthusiasm. He had great entrepreneurial acumen so that his delightfully naive belief that what he was enthusiastic about would also create paying customers often proved to be the case, making him a very rich man. He was not at all embarrassed by being rich as he simply regarded wealth as a means of supporting his passions and financing new ideas. His innate liberalism also showed in ways that others would regard as eccentric. When businesses ...

Let's face it everyone, 2018 was not a good year for liberals in politics globally. In a year that saw the right-wing advance in Europe and South America and a particularly vicious strain of racism hit the United Kingdom. For ... Continue reading →

The recent bizarre twists and turns of UK politics, as far as the two largest parties are concerned, seem to have brought us to a situation where on the biggest issue of a generation (Brexit) each party leadership is at odds with its own members and supporters. Firstly Reuters reports on a poll of Tory Party members who, by a significant majority, oppose Teresa May's Brexit Deal:- Secondly, Political Betting shows that by another significant margin Jeremy Corbyn is well out of step with his members and supporters:- Both leaderships plough on regardless hoping and praying that the ...

The Misogynistic Rhetoric Behind That Anti-Smartphone Op-Ed If you don't "get" the hype around Greggs vegan sausage rolls, it's about class .. and snobbery How school PE lessons can cause a lifelong aversion to exercise Classic Doctor Who returns to Twitch for second marathon Gay rights captain falcon joined my discord server Hol and I have been playing Smash Bros loads, and while Capt Falcon isn't her favourite character, she ALWAYS plays him in Gay Rights Icon Mode when she plays him. (I am almost always Lib Dem Ridley) Do immigrants lead to crime? A recent study says no If ...

Maria Miller, the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, has slammed the Government for failing to improve health services for transgender people. And there's a particular Liberal Democrat dimension to this as senior Liberal Democrats actually helped to collect the evidence on this in the first place. Ms Miller said yesterday that basic healthcare taken for granted by the general public is "out of reach" for trans people. From The Independent: The committee is due to publish a new report on the care of LGBT+ people in the coming weeks but Ms Miller has already warned services are ...

Quietly, slowly, almost imperceptibly, the possibility of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal has crept up on us as a real possibility. It is a perception encouraged by the Government's own publicity, as it releases detail after detail of their contingency measures, including pledging £13 million to a Ferry company that has no ferries and whose terms and conditions have allegedly been borrowed from a fast food chain. The idea that this disastrous outcome may actually happen is further encouraged as institutions react to the narrative with their own scare stories. Today, we have higher education ...

If it wasn't abundantly clear that the contest to replace Theresa May as Leader of the Conservative Party, and probably Prime Minister was underway, events this week have made it utterly obvious. Any sense of discipline appears to have been tossed aside in favour of raw ambition, as this can be the only explanation for the utter inconsistency of statements from senior Government figures. Gavin Williamson has been talking about offering moral leadership to other nations sharing our values. And, whilst I am sceptical that our recent acts as a nation have given much of a lead, that can't be ...

Wanted: Brave British politician Experience: Must be a dyed-in-the-wool Brexiteer, preferably a senior member of Theresa May's cabinet. Duties: The person chosen for this demanding and vital role must be willing and able to swallow their pride, admit their error and put the interests of their country before self and party. They must be able to withstand abuse from former colleagues and friends; even death threats from the public. They must tell the British public in clear, concise and indisputable language that they were wrong. They must make it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that leaving the European ...

Come along to the Wighton Centre in the Central Library on Saturday morning to celebrate with Shamblestone as they reveal their first ever EP. Doors open from 10.30am so wander in early for a cup of tea or coffee. Tickets £5 (on the door) - it will be a thoroughly enjoyable event and all welcome!